This invention relates to a method for combustion of semi-solid and liquid petroleum wastes and, in particular, relates to a method of combustion of semi-solid and liquid petroleum wastes with particulate combustible solids.
Oil and water sludges, crankcase oil, oil and water emulsions and the like oil-based liquid petroleum wastes often are discarded by burial in land-fill sites or disposal in the oceans, with attendant disposal problems, due to difficulty in burning the petroleum component with the use of conventional burners because of the presence of occluded water and solids which make the petroleum wastes usually difficult to ignite and to burn with a sustained flame. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,958,518 and 4,026,223 disclose incinerators for combusting oil-water sludges having complex structures for flash evaporating the water content.
Wood chips and shavings, straw, particulate paper and cardboard, on the other hand, are easy to ignite and burn but combustion is very rapid and is difficult to control. Accordingly, these materials often are discarded and, although they do not pose a disposal problem insofar as ecology is concerned, a large and valuable source of heat and energy is lost.
It is known to burn wood chips and other wood waste, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 974,322; 3,782,298; and 4,184,436. However, the apparatus disclosed in these patents is complex and not well suited for domestic use or adaptation to existing furnaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,085 discloses a combined incincerator for oil sludge and/or solid wastes such as garbage. This incinerator does not appear suited for adaptation to existing furnaces and does not provide for recovery of heat.
None of the aforementioned patents suggests the combination of liquid petroleum wastes and forest or agriculture products fed to conventional existing domestic or industrial furnaces by a novel feeding system for combustion and recovery of heat values.